The Station Hotel Story

May 20, 2015

Station Hotel Martinborough

This week we met two visionary women who have lovingly transformed the Grand old Station Hotel into a stunning new Martinborough Village accommodation.

We'd like to introduce you to Leanne & Fiona, their vision for the Station Hotel to create top story apartment accommodation above the fully tenanted ground floor of this grand iconic building. It's a vision we love... New York style living in the centre of the village, a spacious two bedroom apartment & an intimate studio to choose from, both impeccably decorated in a fresh eclectic style.

Entry to the apartment is via the ground floor spacious foyer leading into a grand sweeping staircase which lends itself to thoughts of the deep American South... think "Gone with the wind" Scarlet O'Hara dramatic entrance. Massive wall space, hand chiseled wood work , balustrades.
"A fantastic space! We'd love to see art exhibited here" Leanne & Fiona tell us .
We agree & suspect these ladies could make this vision a reality, they clearly adore this magnificently refurbished building.

scroll down for our apartment pictorial & more on the Station Hotel history!

Stunning retro lighting from Fuzzy Collectibles Carterton

The Two Bedroom Apartment ^

The Studio Apartment ^

Station Hotel History

The Station Hotel began its life in Masterton, built in 1903 by a man named James Reed & was originally named the "Coronation Coffee Palace" - see this excerpt from the newspaper of the day:

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XXVII, Issue 7499, 30 June 1903, Page 2

Eventually re-named "The Station Hotel", the pre-loved building was moved from Masterton to Martinborough by Mike & Sally Laven in 1998, carefully restored to maintain its historic status & become a beautiful asset to Martinborough Village.

A Big Day for Martinborough when the Station Hotel was moved

Leanne & Fiona purchased the building in 2012, we asked them what inspired them to develop the apartments?

Fiona:

"What inspired us? We love the building and her history and character. She is like Cinderella - a hidden beauty that just needed dressing up and sending to the ball. Apartments seemed to just make sense because then we could experience her character and beauty from the inside and give other people the opportunity to experience that too. She is our "ahhhhhhhhhhhh" place. Our place to rest (yes we try - believe it or not) - a haven where no matter what chaos, tragedy and negativity is out there in the world - inside her walls everything is ok. She is our "happy place" and we want others to experience that too."

This answer reassures us the Grand Old Lady is in excellent hands...scroll down for more!

Contemporary Apartment Living

The Beautiful Apartment Kitchen ^

Looking Forward

We had the most incredible time meeting Leanne & Fiona, being introduced to the the beautiful Station Hotel.....the Grand Old lady with a rich, intriguing history, now permanently resting in the village. Most definitely a wonderful asset to the historic feel of the town.
Lovingly tended to since she first arrived, Fiona & Leanne have now taken the reigns & the evolution of private apartment accommodation is one of the best we've witnessed. We could sit here & talk all day - resting on the lovingly restored furniture, enjoying the stunning art works. We imagine dining in the New York style apartment, summer lunches on the balcony overlooking the village, seeing the "comings & goings" in the hub of Martinborough. Long lazy summer evenings overlooking the Village Cafe courtyard with vines & trees among the urban vista. Views of the sister hotels across the street....the Grand Martinborough Hotel & the quaint Petit Hotel.

How about dinner parties, sipping on fine wine, enjoying casual conversation with friends into the small hours, weddings, booking out both apartments....Jazz bands on the balcony - reminiscent of New Orleans, this generous majestic building can easily house all this & more.There's a culture & rich history within these walls, something that can't be replicated or replaced, something handed down over generations...

Fiona & Leanne feel a responsibility to preserve this history. They feel the hotel really belongs to the community & that they are the custodians, fascinated by the Hotel's history they are avidly collecting "Station Hotel' stories...they've already managed to find quite a few & are very keen to connect with more people who have stories to tell. They want to share these stories & preserve the Hotels history, so if you know of any such stories, or of any persons who may have them, please contact us.